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, known as 'Chrno Crusade' in Japan, Singapore, Germany, France and Australia, is an eight volume manga series authored by the Japanese mangaka Daisuke Moriyama.
It was originally published by Kadokawa Shoten in Monthly Dragon Magazine which began serialization in November of 1998. A 24-episode anime television series based on the manga ran from 2003 to 2004 on Fuji TV. The animation work was done by GONZO Digimation. The series was released in North America by ADV Manga and ADV Films, titled ''Chrono Crusade''.
Set in the United States during the 1920s, Chrono Crusade follows the story of Rosette Christopher, and her devil partner Chrono. As members of the Magdalene Order, they travel around the country eliminating demonic threats to society, while Rosette searches for her lost brother Joshua.

Contents

Plot

Themes

Main characters

Episode guide

Japanese/English Voice Actors

Terminology

Novel

Music

Trivia

References

External links

Plot

''Chrono Crusade'' is set in the height of the Roaring Twenties, where jazz is king, bootleg liquor flows freely, and the mob rules the streets. It is a time of prosperity, luxury and decadence, and the division between rich and poor grows even wider in the wake of the First World War… but it is at such times of great change and upheaval that the dark things that lurk below the world of man can come to the surface. In the world of ''Chrono Crusade'', a fictional organization known as the Order of Magdalene (or more specifically, the characters of Sister Rosette Christopher and her soul-bound demon partner, Chrono) exists to fight the demonic threats that appear with increasing regularity across America. Both Rosette and Chrono are revealed during the course of the story to be driven by a shadowy past, centered around a search for Rosette's lost brother, Joshua. Joshua is shown to have been taken from her by the sinner, Aion, a devil who shares a dark and bloody history with Chrono, and seeks nothing less than to overthrow Heaven and Earth.
The anime follows the manga through the first half, but it diverges halfway through, creating different courses of events and endings. The characterization of some the characters, including Rosette and Aion, and their roles in the story were changed in the adaptation of the manga. Much of the story is driven by the individual pasts of the main characters and the complex relationships between them.

Themes

In an interview with ADV Manga, Daisuke Moriyama expressed his own opinion about the differences and similarities of the anime and manga, with one of them being the theme of the story. Although the bond between Chrono and Rosette and the idea of time running out were the same, Moriyama felt that the anime and manga showed this theme in different ways. While the anime centered more on the currents of time, fate and trust, Moriyama believed that the manga focused more on the Rosette's individual ideology and how the potential strength of her will can change her current situation.^[1]

Main characters

★ 'Rosette Christopher': The protagonist of ''Chrono Crusade''. Rosette is an elite exorcist of the Order of Magdalene and goes out on missions to destroy deadly spirits and devils. Her primary motivation is to save her brother Joshua, who has been captured by Aion.

★ 'Chrono': Rosette's contractor and assistant.

★ 'Joshua Christopher': The Apostle of Hope and Rosette's little brother.

★ 'Azmaria Hendric': The Apostle of Charity and Songstress of Vegas. Azmaria is a 12 year old girl with the gift of healing people through her voice.

★ 'Aion': The antagonist of the anime/manga series. He is a Sinner and a devil.

★ 'Father Ewan Remington': The minister of the Magdalene Order. He also serves as a field agent and second in command to Sister Kate.

★ 'Satella Harvenheit': A jewel summoner and bounty hunter who kills devils.

★ 'Sister Kate Valentine': Head of the New York Branch of the Magdalene Order. She is a strong willed woman who often seems out of place fighting demons and devils. She leads the order with an iron resolve, making sure the New York Branch Office runs as smooth as clockwork.

Episode guide

Main articles: List of Chrono Crusade Episodes

Japanese/English Voice Actors

★ 'Chrono' voiced by Akira Ishida / Greg Ayres

★ 'Rosette Christopher' voiced by Tomoko Kawakami / Hilary Haag

★ 'Azmaria Hendric' voiced by Saeko Chiba / Jessica Boone

★ 'Kate Valentine' voiced by Yoshiko Sakakibara / Laura Chapman

★ 'Ewan Remington' voiced by Sho Hayami / Jason Douglas

★ 'Edward "Elder" Hamilton' voiced by Tomomichi Nishimura / John Swasey

★ 'Satella Harvenheit' voiced by Michiko Neya / Tiffany Grant

★ 'Aion' voiced by Kazuhiko Inoue / Andy McAvin

★ 'Florette "Fiore" Harvenheit' voiced by Natsuko Kuwatani / Monica Rial

★ 'Joshua Christopher' voiced by Junko Minagawa / Chris Patton

★ 'Sister Anna' voiced by Yuki Masuda / Mandy Clark (Ep. 1–15) / Brittney Karbowski (Ep. 16–26)

★ 'Sister Mary' voiced by Ema Kogure / Michelle Maulsby

★ 'Sister Claire' voiced by Noriko Rikimaru / Sasha Paysinger

Terminology

Many words used in Chrono Crusade sound like those used in Catholicism, but are used in nonstandard ways.

★ 'Apostle:' A person who is able to call upon the Astral Line and tap its power. There are seven Apostles, each from a different section of the world. The Apostles can fly using their wings, which appear on their back whenever they need them. They have supernatural powers which is both a blessing and a curse. Many greedy individuals target the Apostles to extort their powers.Though their powers seem a blessing, all the apostles are also cursed with bad luck (ex: Azmaria loses her parents during World War I and Joshua is constantly ill, alo loses his parents in sinking ship accident)

★ 'Astral Line:' A river of spiritual energy, invisible to the human eye, that is the source of life of every living being in the universe. The Astral Line is also the energy source for devils, and is channeled by their horns.

★ 'Contract:' A pact between a devil and a human. Since the Astral Line is also the source of life of human beings, a devil can take energy from the lifetime of a person wanting to use his powers and pay it back with services. In the anime, the Contractor must wear a heart-lock, which resembles a little brown cage with a glass circle in the center. When the heart-lock is opened, the power of the devil is released, and a clock appears on the glass circle, symbolizing the lifespan of the Contractor.

★ 'Devil:' 'Demon' in the manga (Not to be mistaken with the fallen angels of the Bible who rebelled against God) Monsters who are mostly hostile towards humans. Devils, while appearing hostile, are not completely evil. They are not immortal and they can be either male or female. Devils have their own society, a hive-like society not unlike bee or ants, in which everyone has a rank according to their power level. High-ranking devils (such as Chrono and Aion) are similar to humans in intelligence and figure, except they never age and have extraordinary powers based on the energy of the Astral Line. All devils are born from one mother, Pandaemonium, the devil queen.

★ 'Eden:' The Sinner's headquarters, a large floating fortress hidden in the clouds.

★ 'Exorcist:' A member of the Magdalene Order who fights against devils and monsters.

★
★ 'Militia:' The highest rank of exorcist in the Magdalene Order. Members of the militia are granted many privileges including the right to go on solo investigations for long periods of time. Members of the militia include: Father Ewan Remington, Father Jack Gilliam, Sister Rosette Christopher (apprentice class), Feather, Storm, Leinbach, Leibler, Alc and Strauss.

★ 'Legion:' Legion can refer to one of two things:

★ # The smallest, weakest, and lowest-ranking devils of Pandaemonium. Legion are unintelligent, hive-minded beings and have the ability to put themselves together to create different forms.

★ # The devilic version of cells. Legion are what make up each and every devil. Unlike cells, legion can heal and regenerate very quickly by absorbing astral energy via the devil's horns or other sources. Although a devil is normally the master of his or her own legion, Pandaemonium can override the control of other demons and may regulate the legion so they do not grow out of control. Also, when Pandaemonium casts geas, it effects the legion itself, making resistance extremely difficult. Legion directly injured by Pandaemonium die off and cannot regenerate.

★ 'Geas:' A spell cast by a devil, a pure article of devilic power formed from energy from the Astral Line by their horns. High Ranking devils may sometimes have a unique power.

★ 'Life Span:' This refers to the amount of time the person will spend alive on Earth. Rosette signed a contract with Chrono so that he could use his powers even without the Astral Energy and Horns, at the cost of her lifespan. Every time she releases the seal on the Contract clock to allow Chrono to access his powers, her life is shortened by a comparable amount, causing this to be a measure of last resort.

★ 'The Magdalene Order:' A religious organization that specializes in battling all sorts of monsters and investigating mysterious supernatural cases. There are several branches in the United States, the most influential ones being in New York and Chicago. The Order also has the duty of protecting people blessed with special abilities (such as the Apostles) from evil people who desire to use their powers for their own ambitious purposes. Additionally, the Magdalene Order is a powerful, technologically advanced organization, and its members have to undergo very difficult military training and are dispatched on all kinds of dangerous missions.

★ 'Minister:' A male member of the Magdalene Order. Ministers are able to use all sorts of weapons, but seem to be experts in hand-to-hand combat.

★ 'Pandaemonium:' The devil queen, mother of all devils. Pandaemonium comes in two forms; the core of Pandaemonium which regulated the devil utopia and the excretionatory unit which "births" all the devils. Alternately, the devil society that is hidden deep under the sea and is named after said queen.

★ 'The Prophecy of Fatima:' Three prophecies imparted to shepherds by the Virgin Mary. The first was that the "Great War" would soon end (World War I). The second was that an even greater war would occur within twenty years. The third was kept secret by the Vatican until the year 2000, and prophesied the assassination attempt of Pope John Paul II. Presumably, this is based on the Three Secrets of Fatima.

★ 'Pursuer:' A devil who is in charge of hunting down the Sinners. All devils loyal to Pandaemonium are potential Pursuers.

★ 'Sinner:' A devil who betrayed Pandaemonium, the devil society. They planned to escape Pandemonium, but they had to face an army to try to escape and many devils died, Sinners and Pursuers. There are only six Sinners left: Aion, Chrono, Genai, Rizelle, Shader and Viede. (Also known as Aion, Chrno, Jenai, Rizel, Sheda and Videl)

★ 'Sister:' A female member of the Magdalene Order. Nuns are able to use different kinds of weapons (mostly firearms) and other types of equipment (like cross-barriers).

★ 'Soul:' The lifetime of a person. Not to be mistaken with a person’s “spirit”.

Novel

A novel of Chrono Crusade, titled "Tsubasa yo, are ga tamashii no akari da" (翼よ、あれが魂) – "Wings, they are the light of the soul", was published on April 20, 2004. It was written by Tominaga Hiroshi and illustrated by Miyazawa Hiroshi.

Music

;'Opening Theme:'
:"''Tsubasa wa Pleasure Line''" performed by Minami Kuribayashi
;'Ending Theme:'
:"''Sayonara Solitia''" performed by Saeko Chiba Composed by Yuki Kajiura

Trivia

★ It is not completely clear why the romanization of the title within Japan is ''Chrno Crusade''. The common assumption is that the name was altered to not conflict with the popular game franchise Chrono Trigger or its sequel, Chrono Cross. Another explanation is provided in the November 4 2005 edition of Anime News Network's "Hey, Answerman!" column, where "Answerman" (Zac Bertschy) explains that it was a simple mistake.^[2] Additionally, in a subsequent forum posting the owner of ANN, Christopher Macdonald, cites his first-hand account from Daisuke Moriyama at the ''Anime Boston 2005'' anime convention that it was a mistake due to a production error.^[3] Both explanations have credibility and reference issues due to the sources of the info, but both agree that "Chrono" was the intended spelling.

★ ADV did extensive research in keeping the slang words within 1920s canon. One word, "bimbo", is explained to mean a tough man in 1920s slang, while the modern version refers to a stupid female.^[4]

★ The English voice actors for Rosette and Chrono (Hilary Haag and Greg Ayres) nearly lost their voices on numerous occasions due to the fast-paced voice work demanded by the anime.^[4]

★ Many of the events in Chrono Crusade are based upon prophecies in the Book of Revelation.

References

1. '' Chrono Crusade Volume 2, , Daisuke, Moriyama, ADV Manga, , ISBN 1-4139-0104-2 ''
2. Anime News Network – Hey, Answerman!
3. Anime News Network – Forums – Re: Hey, Answerman!
4. ''Chrono Crusade DVD 1 A Plague of Demons'' Commentary Track. ISBN 1-57813-850-7.
5. ''Chrono Crusade DVD 1 A Plague of Demons'' Commentary Track. ISBN 1-57813-850-7.

External links

★ ADV Films' site

★ Chrono Crusade AU Site.